Thirty Years of Hairspray

Here’s how to celebrate the film’s anniversary

byCaroline Sanders

February/March 2018

photo: Tim Bower

In February 1988, filmmaker John Waters introduced the world to Tracy Turnblad, the “pleasantly plump” and bigheartedteenage dancer, in his cult classic Hairspray. Here are three ways to celebrate the film’sthirtieth anniversary.

SingAlong

Although the hip-shaking songs originated with the 2002 musical, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the 1988 film with a sing-along. On February 24 at the Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse in Cocoa, Florida, tease up a beehive and sing along with the 2007 movie remake.

See the Play

Early this year, a new production will debut abroad—warming hearts across the United Kingdom. Closer to home, the musical hits the stage at North Carolina State’s University Theatre in Raleigh (February 21–25) and the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown (April 13–15; 20–22).

Get to Know John Waters

This Filthy World is John Waters’s one-man vaudeville show. See it live at Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on February 24. The king of cinematic camp will also host his very own adult summer camp in September, and the Baltimore Museum of Art is putting together a retrospective of his work, opening in October.